Zatari's Story
by LuvsGoten
Summary: Zatari is one of the few remaining pure Saiyajins, but she doesn't know it. She goes back in time, only to see her home planet be destroyed. Will she let time take it's course, or will she save Planet Vegeta and risk losing everything she has?
1. Chapter 1

**Zatari's Story**

**"It's not right, I tell you!" screamed a short, black haired girl at her adoptive brother. "People don't just go around picking up dinosaurs and taking them home!"**

**Her brother looked at her. "But, Tari, some people do..."**

Tari heaved a sigh. "Goten; even when they do, they don't take them to pet shows! _That_ is what you did wrong!" She turned around to look at the boy behind her. He stepped back and said, "Whoa, it's not my fault! Don't look at me that way!"

**"Maybe not, But you didn't stop him!" Tari stormed. She was getting angrier and angrier every time the two boys opened their mouths. Goten peered behind his sister at the boy. "Yeah, Trunks! This is all your fault!"**

**Trunks snorted. "Don't get your hopes up; anyone with half a brain could tell that you were the one who brought home the beast, not me," he turned back to Tari, who was now practically steaming with rage. "Tari, I'm sorry I didn't stop him, there was nothign I could do, just leave it," Tari laughed. "Leave it? How can I just "leave it" when, thanks to Goten, the whole auditorium is wrecked, and I was the one who was supposed to be watching him?!"**

**Goten giggled. "Yeah, you're right, Mama's gonna kill you!" **

Gohan poked his head through the door. "Okay, I heard screaming in here, and mom told me to check to make sure that no one was being dismembered; which I'm happy to see is not happening."

**Tari turned to her older brother. "GOTEN BROUGHT A DINOSAUR TO A PET SHOW AND NOW THE WHOLE PLACE IT TOTALLED!" She started to breathe heavily. "And now, due to his sheer stupidity, I'll be punished."**

Gohan just stared open mouthed.

"Well, aren't you going to do something about this?!" Tari said in an exasperated voice.

**Gohan continued to stare. "Wow, Tari, you're going to be in huge trouble!"**

**Tari gaped at him, then turned around in a rage. "Why am I going to be in trouble?! It wasn't MY dinosaur! Why doesn't Goten ever get in trouble?!"**

**Goten looked at the ground, afraid to look her in the eye. "Because I'm the youngest?"**

Trunks did the same. "Perhaps...."

**Tari rolled her eyes. "Puh-LEASE," She said. "You can't stick with that excuse forever; it's going to die off sometime."**

**Goten grinned. "That's what's great about Mama, she doesn't like to face that we're growing up," Trunks laughed.**

**Tari stomped her foot and turned towards the door. "I can't stay near you two any longer; your stupidity might rub off on me." With that she left.**

**Gohan stared after her. "Such a friendly, sweet-tempered girl," he said. **

**Trunks smirked. "Y'know, Goten," he said. "You could tell your mom about how she insulted us, and get her into even more trouble!"**

Goten's eyes brightened. "Hey- Yeah!"  


**Gohan turned his attention back to the two boys. "Don't even try it. That's unfair and you both know it."**

Trunks frowned. "But she DID...."

"Gohan's right," Goten sighed. "That's nto really the issue; the problem is that I wrecked the Satan City Auditorium, and now Tari's gonna get in trouble for it..."

Trunks sighed also. "I hate it when you get started on all that pure-of-heart crap; it sucks the fun out of everything."

**Tari stormed through the kitchen where her mother was cooking dinner. "Mama, where's Dad?" she asked; maybe her father would take the news better then her mother would.**

Chichi looked away from the food she was cutting, "I don't know, dear, last I saw him he was out in the back."

**"Kay mama, thanks," Tari said, then turned her heel to the door.**

Chichi smiled, "You're welcome, dear," Then turned back to her dinner.

**Tari opened the back door and the smell of fresh air met her senses. She always loved the outdoors; more space to do her own thing then inside. She took in a whiff of the air then stepped outside.**

**"Daddy?" She called into the yard. She turned the corner of the house, only to see that her father wasn't there. "Hmm," she murmured. Then looked into the forest. She couldn't see any signs of her father; usually whenever he went through the forest he flew so fast the tree's branches would be bent. **

**Tari gave an exasperated sigh. He was never around when you needed to talk to him. In the distance, she heard her fathers voice. "Whoa! Settle down!" he said. Tari shook her head, "Finally!" and then flew over the forest.**

**Tari loved flying, it was one of her favourite things to do when she was outside. In her opinion, there was nothing better then being above everything. She loved the feeling of the wind through her hair, which was short, black and sort of spikey. Her eyes were a dark green-brown, and she was confused by the fact that no one else in her family had her eyes. **

**_Come to think of it,_ she thought, _I don't look anything like anyone in my family! Oh well, I suppose I'd be cursed if I looked like Goten._ **

**She stopped in mind-air to see her father trying to calm a wild animal. By the looks of it, he didn't know why the animal was acting furious; though Tari did. _Dad, you're so brainless sometimes,_ she thought. **

**She flew down a bit lower. "Hey- Dad!" She called. Her father looked up. "Tari, not a good time..." He yelled back. **

**She crossed her arms. "Having a bit of trouble?" she called. He shook his head, "I don't have the faintest idea why he's acting so strange!"**

**She shook her head and flew down a bit lower. "It's a she," she yelled to him. He looked up, puzzled. "How d'you know?"**

Tari pointed behind him. "You're standing between her and her nest." His face fell and he looked behind him. "Oh, damn it." He stepped a few paces sideways and away from the mother's nest. "There," he said gently, "A bit better, now?" 

**The animal sniffed the air for a moment, then rushed behind Goku to her nest. Goku heaved a sigh of relief. "Good thing you were here, Tari, or else I would have been standing there for ages trying to figure out why she was so angry with me!"**

**Tari rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Where would you be without me, father-dearest," she said in a sarcastic voice. He looked at her with a surprised expression, "I already told you," he said, "I'd still be down there..." **

**"Oh forget it," Tari laughed. Suddenly she remembered why she had sought out her father, and she felt as though someone had dropped a block of lead in her stomach. "Uh, dad?" she said quietly. **

**Goku put her on his shoulders. "What?" He said, lifting off the ground into the sky. **

**Tari hesitated. "You remember how mama told me and Trunks and Goten to go out and play this afternoon?"**

Goku looked behind him. "No, but go on."

**She drew in a breath. "Well it wasn't my fault you see we were in the forest and Goten made friends with this huge dinosaur and me and Trunks didn't want to wait for him any longer so we told him to meet us at the Satan City Auditorium and so we left and when we got there there was this big pet show and then Goten showed up with this HUGE dinosaur and the great brute wrecked the whole building and now mama's gonna blame it on me because it's my responsibility to watch him and he broke something and I don't want to get in trouble!" She gasped for air.**

**Goku looked at her with a look of uttmost bewilderment on his face. "There's not much I can do about that...You _were _supposed to watch him, after all..."**

**Tari couldn't believe her ears. "So you agree it was my fault?" She demanded.**

**Goku suddenly looked nervous; Tari was known to have an explosive temper. "Well, not entirely; but you shouldn't have left him alone in the forest to begin with, right?"**

Tari let out a large groan and jmped off her father's shoulders. "I'm sick of everythign being my fault; how about Goten just grows up a little and takes care of himself?" Tari then turned her heel and flew at top speed back to the house.

**Goku just stared. "Aw damn it, what did I do now?"**

**Why is it always my fault? Tari thought. Why can't Goten be responsible for himself and just...Not get me into trouble all the time! **

**She remembered the time that Goten broke Bulma's newest invention. Bulma was a family friend, and was very rich. She was married to Vegeta and was Trunks's mother. Tari had never had a problem with her, in fact, she sometimes wished that she lived with Bulma instead of her mom and dad.**

**But that day her, Goten and Trunks had been playing in the basement. They had been playing tag, and when Tari had touched Goten, she turned around and shot a Kii blast at her; only to have it fly past her and into Bulma's invention. Of course, when her mother heard about it it was Tari's fault for touching Goten.**

**Typical Mom, she thought. Always sticking up for the baby.**

**She saw he house getting bigger, and swooped down to fly in her open bedroom window. She landed on the white carpet, careful nto to make any noise as she didn't want anyone to know she was home.**

**She walked over to her closet and grabbed her bag. She took out the random objects in it and threw them to the ground.**

**"Tari?" She heard her mothers voice.**

**Shit, Tari thought. "Yeah?" She called down the stairs.**

**Her mothers voice answered her call. "Can you come down here for a minute?"**

**Assuring herself that she would execute her plan afterwards, she opened her door and started down the stairs.**

**As she entered the living room, she saw Goten sitting in the chair opposite her mother, who was sitting cross-legged and was looking extremely impatient.**

**"Sit," she said, staring into Tari's eyes.**

**Tari nodded, walked over to the couch and sat. Goten was looking at hise feet, tears brimming his eyes. Tari suddenly knew what she was in for, and she groaned inwardly.**

**"I'm not going to waste time by explaining what you did; you know very well," Chichi said, looking at her children. "All I need to know is what on earth drove you to do such a stupid thing?"**

**Tari glared at Goten, who now had tears rolling down his cheeks. He looked up at her with shiny eyes, then turned to Chichi and said, "I'm sorry mama. I didn't think that Kenny would destroy the auditorium...."**

**Chichi snorted. "You don't think very often, Son Goten. You're just like your father; you act, and then reflect when it's too late."**

**Tari shifted in her seat. She knew she'd be getting the full blast of this any minute now.**

**And sure enough, her mother turned to her and said, "And what on earth did you think you were doing leaving your little brother in the forest all alone? Are you crazy? You know that he doesn't recognize danger!"**

**Tari didn't dare look her mother in the eye. "I...I didn't even consider that he would be so stupid.."**

**Chichi's eyes flashed. "Don't you talk about your brother like that!"**

**Tari stood up. "Well I'm sorry I'm just not good enough for you! I'm also sorry that I thought Goten could be mature enough to stay out of trouble for at least 15 minutes! Most of all I'm sorry I even entered your life; I've obviously just made it miserable!" Tari whirled around and ran up the stairs.**

**Blinded by her rage, she tripped over the first step. She looked down at her knee, which, she could see, was already turning a red-ish purple. She got up and flew up the staircase, crying due to the pain in her leg. **

**When she got into her room, she grabbed her empty bag and packed it with things she'd need. A flashlight, a sleeping bag, a book, her gameboy and other various objects. She was about to leap out the window when she remembered something. She ran over to her bed and picked up a worn-out stuffed lion. She hugged it tightly and said, "We're leaving, Ceasar. There's no need to stay here anymore if all we do is cause misery. We're running away."**


	2. Chapter 2

**Tari landed on the cold, hard forest floor. She didn't know where she was, she didn't care. She had been flying for, at the very least, six hours. She was exhausted, hungry, depressed and so lonely it was maddening. **

**She opened her bag and lifted the stuff animal out. "At least I have someone to talk to," she whispered, then hugged it tight. She then began to rummage through the bag, dropping her various belongings on the soil. SHe found what she was looking for at the bottom of her bag, the sleeping bag. **

**She heaved it out and unzipped all the corners. She put everything back into her bag except the sleeping bag and her lion.**

**"This is gonna be one of those longe, lonely, sleepless nights," she said, on the verge of tears. She missed her family already, but she didn't want to go back. Sitting at the trunk of the tree, she pulled up her blanket. "40 winks," she scoffed. "I'd consider myself lucky if I got 4." **

**Suddenly, she heard a crackling noise from the bushes behind her tree. She stiffened, listening attentively for another noise. None came. Tari pulled the blankets closer. **

**"It was....probably just.....a raccoon...or something...." she assured herself, hugging her stuffed lion tightly. She sat there, half expecting to hear the noise again, yet at the same time, telling herself it was either a small animal or her imagination. **

**After a good twenty minutes sitting there, she relaxed, assured that it was just an animal. A little one. She turned over again, hugging her stuffed lion tight, and wondered if she had done the right thing when she had run away.**

**_Mama's gotten me into trouble loads of times, and I never ran away before_, she thought. _Why did I run this time?_ **

**She remembered how her mother had implied how irresponsible and worthless she was. Then thought, _why am I even dwelling on this? She doesn't want me there. Who cares if dad, Gohan and Goten miss me; it's always what Mama wants when she wants it. _**

**Comfortable that her descision was the right one, she drifted off into sleep.**

**"WHERE ON EARTH COULD SHE HAVE GONE?!" Chichi screamed, collapsing onto the couch. She was desperate; she never thought that Tari would run away. **

**Goten walked over to the chair opposite the couch and stared at his feet. "Mama, you were kind of hard on her...It was my fault, after all, and you didn't give me a hard time half as much as you did her...."**

**Chichi considered this for a moment. Maybe her youngest child was right, maybe it was her fault. Her guilt began gnawing at her insides, she felt sick, and she just wished that the events of the day had never occurred. **

**Gohan sat on the floor and looked at the ceiling. He was going to tell his mother the truth, plain and simple, and he didn't want to look her in the eye when he did it. "Mom, you have to admit, you always pick on her..."**

**Chichi gaped at him. "That's not true. I always..." She stopped in mid sentence as the feeling of guilt became stronger and more overwhelming. She thought about what her son had just said, all the while trying to tell herself it wasn't true. She remembered when Goten had blown a whole in the ceiling while playing with a kii blast. She strained to remember his punishment, assuring herself he had one. None came to mind. But she distinctly remembered Tari being grounded for a week. **

**She groaned and leaned back on the couch. "You're right, you're right..." **

**Goten and his brother exchanged anxious glances. Goten spoke up, "Mom?" **

**Chichi waved a hand at him. "I don't need to hear it, Goten, I know. I'm always yelling at your sister. It's never you. I guess it's just because..." Her voice strailed.**

**Gohan looked at her anxiously. He was about to say something when they heard the back door slam shut.**

**Goten jumped out of his seat and ran to the back room. Gohan heard him asking anxiously "Did you find her? Where is she? Is she okay?"**

**Goku walked into the room and sank into the couch. "I can't find her anywhere. I must have searched everywhere- Twice. I just can't find her."**

**Goten's eyes became shiney. "What do you mean you can't find her...?" Chichi looked at him. "Well...Exactly what he said Honey..."**

**Goten whiped his eyes and sat back down into his chair. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't brought Kenny to Satan City, Tari wouldn't have gotten into trouble and left."**

**Chichi shook her head. "It's more my fault. I shouldn't have yelled at her like I did. I always do that just because she's not..."**

**Goku motioned for her to be quiet, and Chichi shook her head. "No, come on, Goten has to find out sometime, and now is the best time, I guess..."**

**Gohan slapped his forehead. "Why, why? Why right now?" Goten looked around the room. "What...? WHAT?!"**

**Chichi sighed. "Goten, as much as I know you love your sister...She isn't... I mean she's not... She's not your real sister..." She paused, then thought about what she had just said. "Whoa whoa whoa, not to say that we don't love her like she was, it's just that because I knew she wasn't my real daughter, I instinctively treated her differently..."**

**Goten stared open mouthed. "That's....a little....twisty...." He stuttered. He shook his head and looked her straight in the eye. "Blood sister or not I want her back!" **

**Gohan tore his eyes away from the ceiling and looked at his younger sibling. "We all do."**

**Tari awoke with a start. She was cold, hungry and scared. She was sick of sleeping on the forest floor and she wanted to be at home in her nice, warm bed. **

**She stood up and rolled up her sleeping bag. She made up her mind that she was going back. She didn't care how stupid she looked, or how severe her punishment would be, she just wanted to go home. **

**Picking up Ceasar and hitching her bag onto her shoulders, she lifted off into the sky. **

**She arrived home just before sunrise. She fell to the ground, wanting to make sure everyone was in bed so she could sneak it. She dropped her bag onto the grass and flew back up to her parents window. They were both asleep.**

**Tari couldn't believe her eyes. She had left, gone missing, and they could actually sleep? She felt hot tears running down her cheeks, and she swooped back down to pick up her bag.**

She shook her head in a disbelieving way. "Are you kidding me?" She hissed. "I didn't come back for this, no way. I'm leaving, AGAIN. And I'm NEVER coming back. EVER." 

****

Hours later, Tari was at Capsule Corp. Capsule Corp was Bulma's company, one of the richest in the world. By now it was well into the morning, and she hoped that they would be awak; especially Vegeta. 

**Vegeta was Bulma's husband, and was he ever scary. The last thing Tari wanted to do was wake him up.**

She approached the door apprehensively, inching her way to the doorbell. She closed her eyes, summoned up the courage and-

**DING DONG**

**She opened her eyes slowly. Still alive. **

**She waited for a little less then a minute when Trunks opened the door. "Hey-" He said, stopping. "TARI! I thought you ran away! Everyone was looking everywhere for you!"**

**Tari covered up his mouth. "Shhhhh!" She said. "I don't want your mom or dad to know I'm here- Gottit? They'll tell Mama and Dad that I'm here!"**

**Trunks nodded slowly. "Then what the hell do you want me to do for you?!" **

**Tari started fidgeting. "Do you maybe have an extra room I can...?"**

**Trunks laughed. "Like you'll stay long without Mama and Papa noticing!"**

Tari rolled her eyes. "I have my ways. Now please?"

**Trunks groaned. "Fine, but hurry up."**


	3. Chapter 3

Tari threw her bag into the corner and collapsed on the bed. After being on her feet practically all night, it felt good to sit down. Trunks sat on the floor and glared at her. Tari gave him a surprised look.

"What?!" She said, crossing her arms.

Trunks looked away. "If mama or papa see you I'll be in so much trouble," he said, his face set. Tari let out a sarcastic bark of laughter. "Oh, and it didn't really matter when I was going to get in trouble for you and Goten's stupidity, did it?"

He looked at her, a hurt expression on his face. "Hey, c'mon now," he said. "It wasn't my fault!"

Tari let out another sharp laugh. "It was your idea to leave him in the forest!" She un-crossed her arms, then put her face in her hands. "Oh forget it," she said through her fingers. "There's no point in arguing, it was all of our fault, and I'm willing to admit that. What makes me angry is that Chichi made it sound as though it was my fault. Enitrely."

Trunks stared at her, clearly surprised. Tari took her face out of her hands and stared back in confusion. "What?" She asked.

Trunks shook his head. "Nothing," he said, looking away.

Tari jumped off the bed and started to poke him. "C'mon," she nagged, grinning. "What? Tell me!"

Trunks swatted her hand away. "Alright alright alright," he grumbled, "don't you find it a little wierd to be calling your mom by her first name?"

Tari suddenly became fascinated with her nails. "Huh? Mother? I don't have a mother," she said in a serious voice, "And if I did she would treat me just like she treated her other children."

Trunks was about to respond when he heard his mothers voice call up the stairs.

"Trunks," Bulma called, "c'mon your father wants you to train today. According to him you havn't been training anough lately."

Trunks put on a digusted face. "Mom!" He yelled back. "What does he mean? He's had me out training for four hours every day this week! Is that not enough?"

"Obviously not, dear, now get down here before he throws one of his fits," his mother called back.

Trunks rolled his eyes. "My god he's retarded sometimes," he said in an exasperated voice, "now you just stay out of sight, got it? If mama comes up here, hide damn it." With that he left.

Tari shut the door behind him and sat back down on the bed. "Well, I'm here," she said to herself. "Now what. I had better find something to do before I go crazy."

She opened up her bag and pulled out her stuffed lion. She set him on the bed and went back to her bag. She pulled out her gameboy then set it on the bed also. After closing her bag and hiding it under the bed, she jumped up on the bed and turned on her gameboy.

After an hour of her game, she heard a noise on the stairs. She quickly shut off her game, turning, alert to the door. She could hear Bulma muttering about how Trunks had probably left the room a mess. Tari didn't know what to do, Bulma was getting closer; probably already at the door.

She grabbed her game and Ceasar and ducked under the bed, watching the door. Sure enough, she saw Bulma appear at the door. She glanced around the room.

"It looks as though this place hasn't been cleaned in a century," she said in a slightly disgusted voice. "Better go get the vaccum."

Tari heard her go down the stairs. She came out from under the bed, sat on it and set Ceasar down beside her.. She knew in a few minutes Bulma would be back, and then where would she hide? She grabbed her bag, hitched it on her shoulders and went out the door.

She walked swiftly down the hallway, opposite the direction that Bulma had gone. She came to a set of stairs, and went down. For about 5 minutes she continued this. Hallway, Stairway, Hallway, Stairway, Hallway, Stairway, until finally she was in the basement.

"Pfft, I wonder how often they come down here?" She said to herself, glancing around the room.

She walked over to what she knew what some of Bulma's older inventions. She saw one labled "GMD" underneath it said, "Genetic Modifying Device". To tari, all it looked like wa sa nailgun with a few springs on the back.

She glanced at a few more of Bulma's contraptions, trying to figure out what each of them did. When she came to the end of the table, she couldn't believe her eyes. She bburst out in a fit of silent laughter. There sat the invention that Goten had totalled years before. Tari couldn't help but laugh; it was so wierd that Bulma would keep it. She then remembered that she had been blamed for it, and suddenly, it wasn't all that funny anymore.

At the end of the table was an open door. Tari glanced inside and saw the biggest of Bulma machines. She walked into the room, careful not to touch any of the random objects that littered the floor. Tari walked right up to the montrous machine, staring in awe as waves of blue lightning went back and forth between two metal poles at the top. She noticed a sign on the what she thought was a door to the inside of the contraption. She read the sign, and was in total awe. It wasn't the most original name, therefore Tari knew exactly what it was. "Time Travel Device"

Bulma entered the room once again, this time bearing the burden of the vaccum cleaner. She heaved a sigh and went to plug it in.

"Sometimes I feel that I need to do everything around this house," she groaned, dragging the wire behind her as she walked. Then she stopped in her tracks. On the bed sat a worn-out stuffed lion.

Bulme went to pick it up, then examined it. "Looks familar," She said. But from where? "Of course," She whispered. How could she have forgotten? Tari carried it around everywhere.

"But what would it be doing here?" She wondered aloud. Suddenly, an idea hit her. "Aw, no," she said in a ticked voice. She threw Ceasar back on the bed and stomped out the door.

Outside, Vegeta and his son were sparring.

"Come on, brat, you'll have to do a lot better then that to win against me," the saiyan prince said, dodging every attack his son threw at him.

Trunks was breathing heavily, trying desperately to get in a hit. He threw a punch at his father's face, and he blocked.

Trunks rolled his eyes. "I've had enough of this," he said. He jumped back and cupped his hands together. A bright light began to form within his palms.

"Ka...Me...Ha...Me..." He said, powering up. Vegeta watched on in amusement, his arms crossed.

Trunks thrusted his hand forward, setting off a long, blinding light towards his awaiting father. "HA!"

As it neared him, Vegeta slapped it away with the back of his hand. "Is that all?" He teased. "You're pathetic."

Trunks slapped his forehead. "Damn," he cursed.

Bulma opened the back door then marched out into the yard. She grabbed her son by the back of his short and dragged him into the house.

Trunks struggled against her. "Mom! C'mon, gettoff!" He yelled at her. Bulma let him go.

"I found a certain stuffed lion sitting in the spare room," she said with a set face, staring into his eyes. "Do you know anyone with a stuffed lion?" She questioned.

Trunks looked everywhere but at her. "No," he said.

Bulma rolled her eyes. "Don't you lie to me, young man!" She yelled. "You know very well that Tari has one, she carries it around everywhere!"

Trunks let out an embarassed laugh. "Hehe, oh yeah, her," he said, ruffling his hair.

Bulma put her hands on her hips. "I'm going to ask you, and you had better tell me the thruth, has Tari been here at all since she ran away?"

Trunks looked at her in the eye. "No," He said.

"Then why is her lion here?" His mother questioned.

Trunks didn't dare take his eyes away from hers. "She left it here a few days ago," he lied.

Bulma shook her head. "Okay, but if I find out you're lying you're in serious trouble. Now get outside before your father kills me."


	4. Chapter 4

"This is strange," Tari said, staring at the Time Travel Device. She circled it a few times, examining every inch of it.

"Well...I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check around the inside too," she said to herself. "I mean, as long as I don't push any buttons or pull and levers or anything."

She opened the door and stepped inside. Inside it looked pretty simple. Not nearly as interesting as the outside. It had a lot of buttons, yeah, but nothing truly intriguing.

Suddenly an idea came to her. What if she was to go back in time, and make it so Goten had never been left alone in the first place? That way, Satan City's Auditorium would still be standing, Tari wouldn't have gotten yelled at, and she wouldn't have had to run away. She grinned. "Pure genius," She said quietly.

She turned around and shut the door. "Oh, this is gonna be good," she laughed. She turned towards the control panel and punched in the correct date, time and location. Then she turned to the biggest lever and read the label, which read "Start-Up". She pulled it down, and waited for something to happen. Nothing did.

"What the hell?" She cursed. She pulled the lever again, and again, still nothing happened.

"Shit!" She said, kicking the wall. Then she noticed a sign that said, "Light Flashes When On". She looked at the light, which wasn't flashing. "Of course not," she said bitterly, and turned around in a rage to face the door. While turning around, and without realizing, her elbow hit one of the buttons and changed the date and location.

Tari opened the door and peered outside. Yeah, of course, it wasn't plugged in. She reached out the door, grabbed the plug then plugged it in.

She went back inside and shut the door. As soon as she did so, lights started to flash inside the Time Machine. "What on earth?" She said, staring transfixed at the colours.

The ground started to shake, and a whirring noise started from the machine. Tari laughed out loud, "This should be fun!"

Bulma was resuming her cleaning when all the lights went out and the vaccum stopped. "What the hell?" She cursed, throwing the vaccum to the floor. She went down to the kitchen where Trunks had been making his lunch.

Trunks turned to his mother. "What's going on?" He asked her.

"Power surge," she replied. "It blew the fuses. But what could have caused it? We have a top of the line electrical system; there's no household electrical force that could blow all the fuses."

Vegeta came into the kitchen. "Woman, what on earth happened to the lights?" He demanded. Bulma turned around. "They went out, idiot," she retorted.

Vegeta crossed his arms and looked away as Bulma started down the stairs.

"I'm going to check the fuse box," she called up. "Maybe I can fix this mess. Oh wait- Trunks, could you pass me a flashlight?"

Trunks glanced around the kitchen. "There isn't one," he replied simply.

Bulma groaned. "Whatever Trunks, maybe you should try not to be so lazy?" She started down the stairs again.

When she reached the bottom step, she glanced around the room. Seveal of her inventions gave off a dim glow; enough for her to see where she was going. She walked over to the fuse box and opened it up. "Just as I thought," She said to herself. She played around with them for a few minutes, when finally the lights came back on.

"About time," she mumbled, turning around. She was about to go up the stairs when she spotted a yellow bag by the back-room door. Curious, she walked over to it. She opened it up and took out the contents.

After emptying it out, she saw a name-tag on the inside. "Tari" is read. Bulma was practically fuming, "Trunks, that little liar, I'll-" She stopped in mid-sentence, as she looked through the door. "Where the fuck is my time machine?" She said to herself. She ran over to the computer in the room. She typed a few words into the keyboard when a screen came up. It was the tapes of the Video Surveillance Camera's they had put up around the house.

Sure enough, in came Tari. Bulma stared in total shock. She watched as Tari entered the time machine, and watched as she came out. Bulma saw her plug it in, then the lights went out and all Bulma could see were a few flashing lights where the Time Machine had been. Bulma quickly closed the program and accessed the Time Travel Device's memory archive. No one had used it before, so there was only one recorded use. She looked at the date and location, and almost fainted. On the screen it read,

Time Used- 12:37 PM

Day Used- July 8th

Date set for Travel- 737 AD

Location- Planet Vegeta

Bulma stared, unable to tear her eyes away from the screen. She was in total shock. 737 AD...And it was now 774 AD...That was...37 year ago. What could have happened 37 years ago? And why would she go to Planet Vegeta?

Bulma came back to her senses and ran back up stairs.

"Hey, Mama you fixed it!" Trunks called to her. Bulma went right past him, not hearing him. Trunks's face fell. "Okay..." he muttered.

Bulma ran to the nearest phone and dialed Chichi's number. "Pick up...Pick up..." she murmured.

Gohan answered, "Hello?" he said into the reciever. Bulma began to speak really fast. "Gohan, can I please speak to your mother?"

"Bulma? Is this you? Okay then, hold on," Gohan replied. Bulma heard him call his mother, and heard Chichi say, "Who is it?"

"Bulma, she sounds worried," Gohan replied.

Chichi grabbed the reciever and said, "Hello? Bulma? What's wrong?"

Bulma was starting to panic, only now realising what situation they were in. "Chichi, I was in my basement and I checked the computer and Tari has gone back 37 years in time," she said quickly.

Silence. "Bulma, what do you mean?" She said shakily.

"I went down stairs - all the lights had gone out and I needed to fix the fuses - and I saw Tari's bag near one of the doors. I went inside, and my time machine was gone. So then I ran to the computer and checked the Video Surveillance tapes, and I saw Tari enter the time machine, and then the lights went out. Then I checked the time machine's memory archive; and Tari has gone back 37 years in time to Planet Vegeta!"

More silence. "Bulma..." Chichi said, sounded tearful. "What...Why....Why would she have gone back that far? What happened 37 years ago?"

Bulma shook her head. "I don't know. But something important must have happened in the year 737..."

Vegeta had been passing the room when he heard his wife's last comment. He stopped dead in his tracks. "Woman," he stuttered. Bulma turned towards him. "Not now Vegeta!" She said desperately.

Vegeta shook his head. "Why did you mention that year?" He asked seriously. Bulma was taken back. "You know what it is?" She asked cautiously.

Vegeta nodded, "Yeah, that was the year that Planet Vegeta exploded..."

On the other end of the phone, Bulma heard Chichi gasp. Bulma turned her attention back to Chichi. "It's okay, Chi, we'll get her back-" Silence. "Chichi? Hello? Are you there?"

She heard Goten's voice. "Mama? Mama are you ok? Mama wake up!" Bulma was still, and then yelled into the reciever, "GOTEN! PICK-UP-THE-PHONE!" Goten picked it up.

"H-hello?" He said shakily. Bulma quieted down. "What happened to your mother?" She asked urgently.

She heard Goten take in a shuddering breath. "I-I don't know! She was on the phone and then she just collapsed..."

"Goten, go get your brother." Bulma ordered.

Goten replied, "I can't! He left a few minutes ago!"

Bulma cursed under her breath. "Stay where you are, Goten, we'll be over in a minute."


	5. Chapter 5

Tari stumbled out the door of the time machine, shaking violently.

"That...That was scary," she said aloud, stabling herself against a nearby rock. "Never....never ever again..."

She looked around, taking in her surroundings. Her face feel, "What the hell is this?!" She screamed, looking around at the red desert.

She was surrounded by miles of red dirt, with the occasional plant here and there. She gaped at it, her mind slowing. "What-The-FUCK!" she yelled, kicking the time machine with each word. Suddenly, the time machine began to make a loud whirring sound, and the lights started to flash. Tari stood in amazement as it began to shake uncontrollably.

"Aw hell no!" She yelled, standing totally still.

Then, there was a bright flash, and the time machine was gone. Tari stared at the spot where it was, almost in tears. She began to scream loudly punching the ground in a fit. "Why me?" she sobbed, "Why, all the time, does it have to be me? I don't know where I am or what year it is, and my time machine is gone! Gone! Where did it go? How did it do that anyway?"

She continued yelling at herself until she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around, and saw a young boy walking towards her. She stepped back, totally mortified. The kid had a tail! How wierd is that? The kid actually had a tail!

Tari hid behind the rock, sizing the boy up. He was about her age, if younger, with spikey black hair that stood up with a whisp of it hanging in his face. He had dark, ebony eyes like Tari, and had a scar on his right cheek. His clothes looked almost to worn for wear, and he had a look of utter confusion on his face.

Deciding her couldn't be that dangerous, Tari slowly stepped out from behind the rock. The boy looked at her, startled, and fell backwards. Tari stood completely still, staring. The boy sat up, glaring at her in annoyance.

"Hey! What's the problem here? Can't I even walk without people harassing me?" He said standing up, trying to brush off the dirt in his clothes, which was completely pointless.

Tari hesitated. "Er...Sorry. I'm here by accident, and I saw you coming, and I hid, but then I decided you didn't look all that dangerous so..."

The boy snorted. "Don't you all,"

Tari started to fidget. "What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes, "Nothing, but, say, how can you be here by accident?" He looked at her strangely.

Tari tried to think up a reasonable excuse. She imagined what would happen if she told him the truth. _You came in a time machine? Bullshit! You're a lying slut, psycho!_

No, no deifnitely not the truth.

"I ran away," she said quickly.

He eyed her suspiciously. "You ran away to a desert?"

"Yeah,"

"Wierd,"

Tari glared at him. "Well why are you here?" she demanded.

"None of your fuckin' buisness!" He snarled, crossing his arms.

Tari stared, "I'm sorry..." she said quietly. He looked away, "Yeah whatever,"

Tari felt uncomfortable. She knew the boy hated her already, so why stay? She started to turn when he said, "So what's your name, anyway?"

She looked back, bewildered. "Uh......"

He rolled his eyes, "What's there to think about? What's your name?"

"Tari," she said.

"Tari, huh? Wierd. I'm Kyrroto."

"Kyrroto...That's original,"

"Is that bad?"

"No,"

Tari leaned against the rock, "Well, I have to go...Somewhere...You know, find out where I am and stuff, so see you later,"

She climbed on top of the rock. Kyrroto didn't say anything, he just stood there, watching. Tari rolled her eyes and leapt off the rock into the sky. Kyrroto stared, "Holy shit..."

Tari flew a high as she could to get a better view, but no matter how high she went, all she could see was the red sand.

Just perfect. How would she ever get anywhere when all there was was this friggin red dirt everywhere? She looked behind to, and saw Kyrroto walking slowly. She smirked, loner.

She looked every direction, trying to find some sign of life...Well, besides that damned to hell kid. She sighed heavily. She was suddenly aware of how much she missed her family. She didn't know what made her think of them. Maybe it was the striking resemblance Kyrroto had to her eldest brother, Gohan. She didn't care, she just wished that she wasn't where she was, and that she was somewhere familiar with people she loved.

She suddenly felt very weak, and she felt herself starting to fall. She tried to catch herself, but couldn't find the energy. She hurtled towards the ground head first, gathering speed.

Kyrroto looked up in time to see her hit the ground with a sickening thud. He raced towards where he saw her fall, and skidded to a halt when she came to her. She was still breathing, but in short, sharp breaths. She turned her over on her back, and saw that she had sustained absolutely no cuts or bruises. He stared in awe, then turned angry. "Bitch! You're just winded!" She opened her eyes slightly and looked at him.

"What the heck are you doing here?" she said to him weakly.

He was still shaking his head and cursing. "What-The-Hell!" She yelled. "Why aren't you dead? Most normal people would be dead! You're wierd!"

Tari straightened up, clutching her stomach. "Don't you tell me about normal and wierd, you're the one keeping all secret about why you're out here! Oh, and you have the freaky tail."

He laughed. "Freaky tail? Jesus girl, are you stupid? Everyone has a tail! Everyone! In fact, you're wierd for not having a tail!"

She looked at him suspiciously. "Everyone?" She said in a disbelieving voice. "Every single being?"

He nodded, "Yeah, every single person on Planet Vegeta has a tail!"

Bulma's car skidded to a halt in Chichi's driveway. She saw Goten standing at the door, fidgeting. She ran up to him, and asked him to lead to her to his mother. He nodded, and led her into the house. Chichi was propped up against the couch, half awake.

Bulma ran to her and sat her on the couch. "Everything's okay, Chi," she told her. Chichi stared up at her with a dazed expression. "Bulma..." She said. Bulma held up a finger to get her friend to stay quiet. "I'm going to get you a drink, now lay quiet for a few, okay?" She got up and went to the kitchen. Chichi sat up straight, holding her head and wincing.

"Bulma, listen to me...Please..." She started, speaking just loud enough for the woman in the next room to hear her.

"Chichi! Sit quiet!" She called back, filling up a glass of water.

"No...You have to listen..." She said as Bulma walked back into the room. Bulma sat beside her and nodded.

Chichi gulped. "Gohan's taking this really hard," she said, fighting the tears that were welling in her eyes. "He left to go look for her again. He won't quit kicking himself for her disappearance, and it's not even remotely his fault!" She sighed. "But you know Gohan, if something happens, he's convinced that it's half his fault. I can only imagine how angry he'd be if it were actually his fault...Bulma I'm worried. He didn't eat at all yesterday or today. All he's done is go out and look for Tari, except when he gets unbearably tired, then he actually comes home and sleeps. He doesn't say a word to anyone at all!

"It's even worse then how Goku is acting. He's just plain pissed off that he would let her get away when he had to the chance to stop her. What's more is, Goten has only stopped crying late this morning before you called. Jesus, I'm a nervous wreck, too. I can't stand this. I feel so awful, like I'm going to throw up..."

Goten stared at his mother, transfixed, as she started to sob uncontrollably.

Bulma turned to face him and said, "Goten, can you go get yoru mother a washcloth?" while rubbing her friend's back.

Goten nodded and went to the bathroom. Chichi peered up and Bulma from between her fingers. She was about to speak when the other woman stopped her. "Don't say any more, you need to sleep," she said, getting up to fetch a pillow from the other couch.

Chichi nodded as bulma set a pillow down behind her head. Goten came back empty handed. "There are none..." He said. Chichi smiled. "It's okay, Goten, I'm just going to have a bit of a rest for now, okay? Wh don't you go find your father?"

Goten nodded and headed towards the backdoor in the kitchen as Chichi lay her head on the pillow.


End file.
